


Fractured

by theScrap_Witch



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: 4 v 4, Action/Adventure, Angst, Blood, Canon Typical Violence, Dark World, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Linked Universe, Palace of the Four Sword, Tragedy, manga references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:47:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26526211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theScrap_Witch/pseuds/theScrap_Witch
Summary: A quartet of statues stood in front of the barrier, their bodies turned so that they faced each other. Old stonework, as ancient as the dungeon itself, the details long ago worn away. The faces of the figures were gone, carved off in some fit of violence, leaving whoever they were - whatever they had been - a mystery.(not much older than us - did they die here? - heroes - losers - ancient history, perhaps - poor things)---Four wakes up alone in the Palace of the Four Sword and discovers a disturbing glimpse of his future.
Relationships: Blue Link & Green Link & Red Link & Vio Link
Comments: 126
Kudos: 200





	1. Chapter One

Disorder ruled Four’s mind as he spiralled through space and time.

_(what - no I - hate this - stop - gonna puke - can’t - help! - no no no no no no - shut up! - where - please I - turn it off - guys - I’m - we’re - let - me - breathe! - )_

**CRACK**

Pain split against Four’s head, forcing silence.

Darkness and silence, stretched out for one long moment.

Then, of all things, a smell broke through. Thick and stale, settling like a weight in Four’s lungs. A little like rotting flowers, a little like sulphur.

Dark magic.

That jolted him awake. He sat up, frantically grabbing at his head as though to keep all the pieces in place. Swirling thoughts slowly settled, going from a cacophony of jumbled sounds to a more manageable, controlled sort of chaos, a chorus of frantic questions.

_(where are the others? - is everyone okay? - motherfu - language - THAT HURT - we appear to have world-shifted again - at least we’re awake now? - I’m amazed we didn’t fracture our skull with that fall - magic sucks! - )_

Slowly, it dawned on all of Four that he should not have had this long to think. Someone should have pulled him out of his thoughts by now. Asked a question, gave him a nudge, passed him a red potion out of concern for the obvious head injury. But there are no other voices, no roll calls or fancy swearing or exclamations on a surprise return home. There are no voices other than the ones in Four’s head, a fact that worried him more than the presence of dark magic or the drip of blood he could feel sliding down the back of his neck.

He was alone.

_(oh no - breathe - he’s gonna cry again - oh no - breathe - if you would just think rationally for one minute - OH NO - BREATHE - )_

Against the rising scream in his heart, Four did as he was told. Took in a deep breath, forcing the panicked part of his soul to listen to reason.

_(others are probably together somewhere else - do you think they’re okay? - they have all our stuff too - at least we still have our sword - but are they okay? - probably - they will be fine - they better be fine - wherever they are - )_

Which raised a new worry: where was he?

_(this is all your fault - how could this possibly be my fault - please don’t fight - you want me to tell you why? - that’s why I asked - you guys! - I’m ignoring all of you - )_

Four let those three parts of his mind bicker while the last surveyed the surroundings as he stood up. Ashen coloured stone made up cracked walls and ancient ceiling, old bloodstains were speckled across the floor. A dungeon, most likely. The sickly dark magic smell continued to clog his throat, and he half expected - half hoped - that the shadow beneath his feet would start moving on its own.

It did not.

_(not the best place in the world to wake up unexpectedly in - I don’t like it here - feels wrong - oh, do you all feel like being useful now? - shut up - I really don’t like it - it feels like magic - its the fucking Dark World - can we leave? - yes - yes - yes - )_

Luckily, that didn’t look like it would be too hard. Another quick scan around the room revealed a hole, blasted through the stone walls, eerie orange light glowing outside. The only thing blocking Four’s way was a small creature, its back to him as it stood in the weak light.

_(what sort of monster is that? - we can take it - maybe it wants to be friends - I agree, let’s try talking first - do we have to? - yes - yes - please? - fine - )_

“Hello?” said Four. He approached slowly, his hand on the hilt of his sword. This was the Dark World, after all, and appearances could be deceiving.

“Exit’s closed,” said the creature, not bothering to look up at Four. It was a sticky orange colour, with a long, rat like snout and large ears. No malice lurked in its eyes, but no kindness or curiosity either.

“Excuse me?”

“I said, the exit’s closed.” It cradled a red rupee in its hands, polishing it over and over again with a rag. “Entrance is closed too.”

Four looked past the creature at the opening and bright light that shone behind him. “…why?”

“Cause I said so, and it’s my job to say so. I’m the gatekeeper. No one comes in or out unless they’re worthy and can pay twenty rupees.”

“I’m afraid I’m in a bit of a hurry,” explained Four. “I was separated from my friends and I need to make sure they’re okay.”

The creature’s only response was to smile at its rupee reflection.

_(seriously? - can we squash him now? - he’s just doing his job - maybe we can walk around him? - try it - if it tries anything I’m slashing it - )_

Four walked closer, fingers tightening on his sword. He was barely taller than the creature, but it didn’t have any obvious weapon. If a fight did start, he could handle it.

_(careful, careful - we are being careful - can we move faster - )_

But Four hadn’t taken more than two steps forward when an invisible force smacked him in the chest, shoving him back.

_(I knew it’d attack us! - its a spell - run away - fight him - )_

Four’s sword was out, blade pointed at the creature. The gatekeeper didn’t move. Nothing about the room changed. No twist in the dark magic, no sudden flying tiles or appearance of other monsters. Not an attack then.

_(what was that? - more magic - not fair! - he might be more powerful than we thought - or its just the place and he’s just following the rules - I hate magic! - but we can still be nice to him, right? - some dungeons do have strange requirements - )_

“Not fair,” repeated Four, the confusion and rapid movement making the back of his head ache.

With a sigh, the gatekeeper looked up from its rupee. “Kid, I told you, the exit is closed. Only those worthy enough - and with wallets heavy enough - can come in or out. No exceptions.”

“I’m worthy,” argued Four. Sure, he didn’t have the same long list of victories as some of the others did, but he’d defeated Vaati and Ganon. If saving Hyrule twice wasn’t enough, then what was? “I can prove it.”

_(how? - we’ll think of a way - we could give it a kinstone? or show it a Minish feather - that’s stupid - or we could just show him our sword - oh yeah - oh yeah - you’re all idiots - but i came up with the idea! - I know what I said - )_

“ - I said to show me this proof, kid.”

That broke through his internal argument. “Right. Sorry. I was…distracted.” Four held up his blade. Light magic radiated off its edges, the dungeon’s shadows making it shine brighter. “Would someone not worthy have a sword like this?”

The gatekeeper squinted at him. “Not a bad blade. I guess you’ve killed a monster or two. You got an air about you, I can sense it. All foolishness and bravery, similar to what that other Hero had.”

“A Hero of Courage?”

“Is there another kind?” The gatekeeper rolled its eyes. “Been a while, but I remember him. Smart-mouthed, pink-haired. Younger than you when he ran through here with his sword.”

So that meant that this was Legend’s world, or a place connected to it. “I know him. He’s a friend.”

“Right.” The gatekeeper didn’t look like he believed him. “Well, even if you are worthy, I’m still gonna need twenty rupees before I can let you pass.”

_(do we have twenty rupees? - we should have some in our wallet - where’s our? - oh no - its in Epona’s saddlebag - I told you not to leave it - at least it wasn’t stolen? - this is why we need to sew pockets into our tunic - )_

“No rupees?” said the gatekeeper.

“Not on me right now.” Four tried to smile. “If you let me out, I can go get my wallet and pay you later. Please?”

_(pretty please? - its gonna say no - )_

The gatekeeper glared at him. “No rupees, no using this exit.

_(told you - so what now - where do we go - I still say we should fight him - )_

“You’ll have to use the other one.”

_(what? - what? - what? - what? - )_

“What?”

“You really got to get your hearing checked, kid. I think that fall might have cracked something important in your skull.”

_(why didn’t it tell us this before? - glad we didn’t give it anything - at least we have an answer now - careful, it could be a trap - hey, listen! - )_

“There’s a warp tile, deep in the dungeon. The Hero used it to get out of here when he’d finished clearing the place out. That’s what you Light-worlders need, isn’t it? A bit of bright magic to get you out of the Dark World and back where you belong?”

“Yes,” said Four, “but you’re not saying all I need to do is walk down this hallway, are you? It can’t be that easy.”

_(its never that easy - )_

“Its not,” said the gatekeeper, shrugging. “Oh, you’ll have an easier time than the Hero did. Most of the monsters that used to skulk around here are long dead. But not everything. Some souls will never find rest.”

_(how comforting - we can handle it - can we please just go we’ve been talking for hours - its been five minutes - )_

The gatekeeper kept talking. “And even if those ones do leave you alone, you still need to get past the magical barrier in order to reach the warp tile. Which can only be unlocked - “

“- with keys?” Four sighed. He knew how this worked. Solve the puzzles, find the keys, unlock the door to beat the monster and leave. Different dungeon, same strategy.

“Yep.” The gatekeeper seemed to lose interest in Four, its attention drifting back to the red rupee in its hands. “Find them all and the magical barrier will unlock and you can get out of here. ‘Course, it’s gonna be hard for you to collect all them by yourself.”

Four smiled, all parts of his mind laughing at the inside joke. “I’ll manage.”

***

Four had faced magical barriers before. Rock walls, dark fog, enchanted electricity; he had smashed, dissolved and unbound all that Vaati and Ganon had thrown in his way.

None of them had been like this.

Stretched across a great doorway like a fishing net, it was the only light in the room, illuminating four other passageways around its sides. Yet, it wasn’t made of light at all. Not light magic or electricity, or even the strange, blue glow that came from Sheikah inventions, but some twisted, inverted sort of shadow, white and harsh and wrong. There were moments when Four caught a flicker of colour in the barrier, a flash of red or green, a sudden streak of purple or blue. But they were quickly devoured.

Staring up at the magical barrier, Four wasn’t sure of its purpose: was it made to lock someone out, or to seal something in?

_(what made this? - not Ganon or Vaati - something else? - who cares, let’s go - what is it for? - keeping us out, duh - or maybe keeping something else in - what else could there be? - )_

A quartet of statues stood in front of the barrier, their bodies turned so that they faced each other. Old stonework, as ancient as the dungeon itself, the details long ago worn away. The faces of the figures were gone, carved off in some fit of violence, leaving whoever they were - whatever they had been - a mystery.

_(not much older than us - did they die here? - heroes - losers - ancient history, perhaps - poor things - )_

They were posed strangely too, arms raised, stone fingers curved around gaps of air.

_(they're missing parts - flowers? - are you dumb? - be nice - don’t tell me what to do - it does appear that they were once holding something - like a stick? a torch? - but - this just gets more and more confusing - but - not traditional keys then - a puzzle - intriguing - annoying - but if Legend already defeated this dungeon than why are the keys gone? - )_

All voices stopped, that tiny, important detail setting off alarm in their heart.

_(guess we’ll find out soon enough - )_

Whatever the unknown danger was, it wouldn’t stop Four from doing what needed to be done. The next steps he had to take were clear. He had four keys to find, and four passageways to explore. Poor Legend. It must have taken him hours, wandering and puzzle solving and monster slaying.

Four grinned down at his sword as a plan passed around his mind.

_(should we - hell, yes - but what about? - the gatekeeper did say most of the monsters were already defeated - but I just said! - and we do need to find the others as soon as possible - don’t be a baby - it will be fine - )_

_(okay? - )_

_(okay - okay! - …okay - )_

He raised his sword up high, and in a flash Four become four.

***

Vio had long given up on trying to explain what if felt like to separate. All common vocabulary used to describe the action - break, split, divide - gave the misconception of it being painful. It wasn’t. There was no feeling of any sort. You were somewhere, a piece of a shape without shape, with no true senses and yet able to sense everything. The closest he’d come was by comparing it to a half-dream state, when you mind was neither awake or asleep, but even that analogue wasn’t entirely accurate.

You were, and you were not. He was Four and then he was not Four and then he was Vio.

He was Vio, and suddenly his head had thoughts that were only his own.

They stood together, arranged in a way that mirrored the statues in front of them. Blue, impatient, Red, twisting his fingers in worry, and Green, eyes focused on the task ahead.

“Alright,” said Green, “Everyone clear on what to do?”

“Yes,” said Vio.

“Obviously,” said Blue.

“I don’t know if we should do this,” said Red. His eyes flickered between the magical barrier and each of them. “I don’t like it here. Something’s wrong.”

“None of us like it here,” said Blue, rolling his eyes. “That’s why we’re trying to leave.”

“I know but - but maybe we should stay together?”

“If we wanted to stay together then we wouldn’t have split,” said Vio.

“But - “

“It will be fine, Red,” said Green. The confident smile on his face slipped a little as he turned to the four open passageways. “Okay. Pick a direction and meet back here with the keys. It shouldn’t take us long.” He pointed to the one on the far left. “I’ll take that one.”

“I wanted that one,” grumbled Blue.

Vio rolled his eyes.

Somehow, despite the situation, a spark of humour danced in Green’s eyes. “Sorry, Blue, but I have a key feeling that this is the way I need to go.”

Vio groaned. “Is now really the time for that?”

“It was funny.”

“Not even Red laughed at it!” snapped Blue.

Red was unable to look Green in the eyes. “I…um…well…you tried your best?”

Green’s grin did not dim in the slightest. “Well, then, I guess - “

“No!” Blue shoved him. “No more bad jokes. Get lost!”

“But not actually lost!” said Red.

“Try to pay attention to your surroundings,” said Vio.

Green gave them all a wave before disappearing down the passageway, the small moment of warmth and humour vanishing with him.

Red picked next. “I’ll take this one, if that’s okay?” He pointed to the one on the near right, close to where they were standing. He took a few steps forward, then stopped and turned back to Vio and Blue. “You’re sure that this will be okay?”

“Since when are you so scared of monsters?” said Blue. “I know you’re a crybaby, but you’re not normally this much of a coward.”

“Its not that. I just…I have a bad feeling about all of this. A really bad feeling.”

“That doesn’t matter,” said Vio. “We have a task to fulfill. How can we find and assist the others if we’re stuck here? Besides, you can handle whatever monsters are left. You’ll be fine.”

“So get moving,” snapped Blue.

“…right. Right. Okay.” Red took in a deep breath, gave them both a wobbly smile, and then went into his passageway.

Vio and Blue watched until they couldn’t see him anymore.

“He’ll be fine,” repeated Vio. “They both will be.”

“Shut up,” said Blue, refusing to meet Vio’s eyes. “I know that. I’m not worried.”

Vio nearly smiled. “Of course not.”

Blue stomped away from him, towards the far right passageway. “I’m taking this one. Try not to die or whatever.”

“Same to you,” said Vio, but Blue was already gone.

Only one more path left to pick, but instead of walking down the near left one, Vio approached the magical barrier, taking a closer look at where the mysterious keys were supposed to go.

There was a design on the floor, beneath the statues’ feet. It was too damaged to make out any details, but it reminded Vio of the stained glass windows back in his Hyrule, the ones that had shown stories of ancient heroes. Within this one was a faded gold line, connecting each of the figures in a circle. Or, it had used to have connected them. Something had fractured it, the beautiful whole shattered to pieces.

Pity. He would have loved to have seen it in its full glory. What was place this before the corruption?

Vio shook his head, pushing back the thought. He did not have time to waste wondering. With one last look at the magical barrier, Vio turned and began the long walk down his chosen passageway.

He did not see the dark energy that slipped out of the statues and crept after him and the other heroes.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vio’s words caught in his throat as a shadow on the floor moved. 
> 
> Not wavered. Not flickered. Moved, slithering past Vio’s feet to the other side of the room, blending into a dark corner. 
> 
> Against his better judgement, Vio dared to hope “Shadow?”
> 
> “Are you still pinning for that nightmare?”
> 
> Out of the darkness stepped Green.
> 
> No. Vio’s heart slammed painfully against his chest, his whole body shuddering as he observed what was now in the room with him. Not Green. That creature could not be Green.

Vio would never have admitted it to any of the others, but sometimes he pretended that Shadow was still alive. When no one else was crowding his head, he could imagine Shadow’s voice, his sneer, his teasing whisper commenting on everything. Make-believe Shadow talked as Vio made his way through rough corridors and empty rooms, stepping around floor spikes and cracked pillars.

**“Looks like it’s just you and me, Vio.”**

It was embarrassing how comforting the delusion could be at times. Perhaps it should have concerned him, how nearly real it could seem. But they all had their faults: Red was addicted to sugar, Blue was allergic to emotions, and Green’s entire sense of humour was a daily trial. Compared to all of that, what harm was there is simply having a conversation with himself?

**“What are you lookin’ for, Vio?”** his imaginary Shadow asked.

“Clues to what this place once was before its destruction.” While Vio had yet to find anything as imposing as the statues, there was plenty else to attract his attention. Scattered on the walls were murals, or what remained of them. Vio observed them as he walked, wishing he had more time and light to study them closer. Once, they must have been vibrantly painted, but now they were worn down, their details faint and any scraps of text rendered illegible. Utterly puzzling. Utterly fascinating.

**“What are they?"**

  
“Recordings from an ancient part of Hyrule’s past. They appear to be telling some sort of narrative,” said Vio. He ran his fingers along the wall, gently brushing them against the lost history. “I can’t tell what or who it’s about. One figure, then four, then five, then one, then nine, then four again. Perhaps there’s a magical significance to the numbers?”

**“Weird for all of that to be in a dungeon. Monsters don’t make things.”**

“No, they don’t.” Which meant that this must have been done by people. “Can a place get lost in the Dark World?”

**“You mean, can it wander in like a person?”**

Even though Shadow’s voice was only inside his head, Vio still nodded. “When an unprotected person stumbles into the Dark World, they can become corrupted. I wonder if something similar happened here.”

**“Buildings don’t walk, Vio.** ”

“Thank you for pointing out that obvious piece of information. You are correct, a building cannot grow legs and reposition itself. However, with enough magic, it can be transported. Was that done to this place on accident, such as a spell going wrong? Or on purpose - and if so, why?”

**“Always searching for the hidden side of things,”** his make-believe Shadow teased. **“I thought you were supposed to be lookin’ for a key.”**

“Knowledge is key to any victory.”

**“Was that a pun?”**

“Absolutely not.”

**“Are you sure? I think Green’s been rubbing off on you. I thought I was supposed to be the bad influence.”** And, _oh Hylia,_ in that moment Vio could feel a comforting weight dropped over his shoulder, the warmth of another head leaning close to his. **“You’re gonna make me jealous.”**

There was a lump in Vio’s throat that made it impossible to respond. The urge to turn to the wall on his right and check - _just in case, maybe this time, please_ \- tore into his heart, like shards of glass.

Like shards of a mirror.

His delusion waited for him to gain enough strength to speak. “I did not intentionally make a pun.”

**“Sure.”**

“It was an unfortunate coincidence.”

**“Uh huh. Watch out, Vio, You keep scowling like that and you might end up lookin’ like Blue.”**

Vio’s lips twitch, a smile threatening to break through the grief. “Now, that would be truly unfortunate.”

Some part of Vio’s imagination took pity on him and kept the make-believe Shadow talking. **“I’m impressed you could figure out that much from these things. They all just look like blobs to me.”**

“Erosion will do that to stone.” Vio kept his thought logical, a shield of questions and scattered facts to protect himself from heartbreak. “Wind erosion, specifically, in this case.”

**“What wind? We’re underground.”**

Vio could not think of an answer to that.

The corridor Vio was following opened up into a larger chamber, greater than any of the other ones Vio had passed through. At first glance it was a dead end. No other entrances or exits except the one he’d stepped through. Small torches lined the walls, but other then that the room was bare. The murals here had been completely stripped away, leaving nothing for Vio to study.

**“What sort of evil lair is this?”** Make-believe Shadow scoffed. **“No flames, no bottomless pits, not a drop of acid or lava. It’s pathetic.”**

“Agreed.” Cautiously - unlike the other three, Vio wasn’t an idiot - he walked to the centre of the room, but he could find no clues, no switches, no pots to break.

“No key,” he muttered, confusion twisting his mouth into a frown. “Did we take a wrong turn?”

**“That or you walked right into a trap.”**

“I don’t think - “ Vio’s words caught in his throat as a shadow on the floor moved.

Not wavered. Not flickered. Moved, slithering past Vio’s feet to the other side of the room, blending into a dark corner.

Against his better judgement, Vio dared to hope “Shadow?”

“Are you still pinning for that nightmare?”

Out of the darkness stepped Green.

_No._ Vio’s heart slammed painfully against his chest, his whole body shuddering as he observed what was now in the room with him. _Not Green. That creature could not be Green._

The thing in front of him had Green’s shape and face, all horribly mangled. Tunic in shreds, he swayed and spun on his feet as he spoke. A curved slash split open his face, straight across his mouth, ripping it open into a never-ending smile.

His eyes were white. No pupil, no viridian hue, no kindness or gentle humour. Blank white and unblinking.

That was not Green. That could not be Green because -

_\- because Green had gone in a different direction -_

_\- because not enough time had passed for any sort of dark magic to have corrupted him so badly -_

_\- because - because -_

\- because Vio could not lose another person he cared about to the Dark World.

“You’re not my brother,” said Vio, raising his sword.

**“Careful,”** whispered make-believe Shadow, but Vio banished him from his mind. He needed to focus on the enemy, on the fight that was undoubtably about to occur.

“I am, I am,” said Dark Green. There was an edge to his words, like at any moment they would unravel into hysterical laughter. “What’s left of him, of them, of us.”

_A lie,_ thought Vio. _A trick._ That was all this was. It had to be some sort of illusion. “I don’t believe you.”

Dark Green shrugged. “Belief, doubt, it doesn’t matter. You’re here, you’ll die.” He raised his sword, and Vio sucked in a sharp breath. It was Green’s sword, as rusted and ill-kept as its current wielder. Dark Green tilted his head to the side, the gash that stretched across his face a cruel grin. “Ready?”

_That is not my brother,_ Vio reminded himself again, and then he lunged.

Dark Green twisted out of the way. He moved like fog, drifting out of Vio’s attacks. Giggling burst from his ruined mouth whenever their swords collided.

A well crafted illusion, Vio grudgingly admitted, as the two traded blows. Whoever was responsible had clearly studied Green’s sword technique. Vio had sparred often enough with the others to be familiar with their footwork, the patterns they relied on in battle. Barring the nightmare inspiring appearance, fighting Dark Green was near identical to fighting his brother.

Unfortunately, the illusion seemed to share the same knowledge of Vio’s skills as well.

Dark Green laughed, pivoting back. Vio took the chance to catch his breath, eyes never leaving his opponent. “This brings back memories, doesn’t it, Vio? Remember Death Mountain? I do. You had that smug grin glued to your face, thinking you were so clever, so much better than the rest of us with your plan.”

“You don’t know anything,” said Vio. _He’s not real. Not real, not real, not real._

“See? There it is again. That fucking arrogance. Cold, cold, that’s all you are. That’s all you’ll ever be. Stone cold and heartless. I remember how cold your eyes were, even with all the lava around us. I remember that smirk you gave me when you used the hilt of your sword to knock me out. ‘You’ll thank me for this later,’ that’s what you said before it all went black. Clever, clever, Vio.”

How did he know that? Horror built up in Vio’s chest, its pressure increasing with each word Dark Green said, threatening to suffocate him. He shouldn’t know that. No one should. The only person who heard was - was - was -

_Oh, Hylia, it wasn’t an illusion._

“Green?”

Somehow, Dark Green’s eyes became crueler. “Believe me now?”

“How - when - “

“Years and years and years ago. Too many years for any of us to count, even you.” He twirled, spinning in place like a leaf dancing on the wind. “And it’s not just me! All of us are here! Stuck together, forever and ever. One makes four and four makes one and we’re never, ever allowed to forget what we’ve done.”

_I can fix this._ Vio clung to that desperate thought. _If this happened to him in the past, then it must be in my - our - future. There’s still a chance for me to make this right._ “Tell me what happened,” pleaded Vio. “Please, Green. The more knowledge I have, the better I can correct everything. Let me help you.”

Dark Green doubled over, laughing uncontrollably. “Stupid, so stupid. You’re supposed to be clever, remember, Vio?” His spinning stopped, his body twisted so that half of it was angled to one side, like someone had snapped his spine. “You said you were going to kill me then. Remember? Remember? You said you would, but you didn’t. Let’s see if you can do it now.”

Vio’s resolve wavered, his sword going loose in his hands. “Green, wait - “

Dark Green snapped his fingers. Wind, vicious and sharp-edged, filled the borders of the room, trapping the two fighters within the eye of a whirlwind. “This will make things more exciting!” he cheered.

_I need to make him talk,_ thought Vio. The longer the fight went on, the more likely Dark Green was to let a piece of vital information slip. Vio lowered his sword slightly, enough for it to seem like he was floundering. Instead of aiming to slash at Dark Green’s neck, he purposely missed and cut the air above the shoulder.

“Getting sloppy, Vio,” leered Dark Green.

The whirlwind tightened, forcing the two closer to avoid being sliced to shreds.

Vio’s lungs felt squeezed, the air around him thinning. Was this more dark magic, or just exhaustion and terror crushing his ability to breathe? Again, he adjusted his sword, deliberately missing a clear shot at Dark Green’s right arm before barely avoiding a blow to his own head.

“You’ve learned a few new tricks,” said Vio. _Get him talking,_ he ordered himself. _Make him babble._

“We survived,” said Dark Green. “We survived and we changed and we learned to do new things. So many wonderful, horrible new things.”

“How?”

“Greedy Vio. You eat word after word and it’s never enough. Never, never enough.” Dark Green was a blur, a flurry of slashes and strikes. Vio did his best to block them all without knocking the sword out of Dark Green’s hand. He dug his feet into the ground, struggling not to be pushed into the razor wind at his back.

Dark Green kept talking. “How many books did we feed you? You devoured knowledge but it wasn’t enough and time kept ticking, slipping, running away. Not that you told us. You were too clever to waste any of those words on us.”

What did that mean? Was his longing for Shadow so strong that he would allow it to destroy his family? “You don’t know what I was studying?”

“Of course not! You never told us, never tell us. Never, never. Why bother, we’re not important to you. You don’t care.” Dark Green giggled, his whole body shaking. “You don’t care - you don’t care - you don’t care! You let us all get shattered, just like that stupid mirror.” Their swords locked together, and Dark Green leaned in, close enough to whisper. “Wanna know something? We never got him back.”

Vio had a sudden, childish urge to cover his ears. “Stop it.”

“But I thought you wanted information?” Dark Green kept going, his words as merciless as his sword swings. “We tried to put the mirror back together. Found shard after shard, wasted hours glueing the pieces of that damn thing. Didn’t work. We even begged Zelda for help.”

“Don’t - “

“But she didn’t! She told us no, told us we were being reckless, told us to stop. So we tried to find another way, but that only made her mad. And do you know why?”

“Green, please - “

“Because no matter that he saved us or how good he could have been, Zelda didn’t find him worthy enough to save.” Dark Green giggled. “She didn’t find us worthy enough to save either.”

The wind howled around them, engulfing most of the room. No more space to move. No more time for Vio to draw out the fight.

Dark Green pulled back his sword and drove it down towards Vio’s heart.

Vio was faster.

Before Dark Green could lower the blade, Vio sunk his through the other’s ribs. No blood splattered, but Dark Green went still, his blank white eyes drifting down to look at where the sword had pierced him. “Huh. Same spot as before. Hurts more when you use the pointy end.”

The whirlwind let out one last scream before disappearing.

Vio pulled out his sword, and caught Dark Green as he collapsed, laying him gently on the ground. “You always left that side unguarded,” said Vio.

Dark Green laughed. A real laugh, not the unhinged giggling like before. The eerie emptiness of his eyes faded, a familiar viridian hue taking over. “I did, didn’t I? Good hit.”

“Green,” said Vio, his voice threatening to break as stared down at what was left of his brother. “Green, I’m sorry, I - I need to know what happened. Please, tell me.”

“We got lost,” said Dark Green. “We got so lost, Vio. We thought we were doing the right thing and then everything went wrong.”

“What went wrong? What is this place? Was it Shadow - “

“Not Shadow,” said Dark Green. “He could have saved us, if we had found him. He could have stopped us from what we did.”

“Green,” Vio shook the other’s shoulders, trying to get him to focus. “Green, what did we do?”

Dark Green let out another tiny, real laugh. “Hey, Vio, what’s at the end of everything?”

“What?”

“It’s a joke. What’s at the end of everything?”

“I don’t know,” said Vio, brushing Dark Green’s hair out of his eyes. There was a spark of warmth in them, quickly becoming clouded by pain, exhaustion and uncertainty. “Tell me.”

“Its…It’s…It’s…” His voice broke. “I can’t remember.” Tears slid down his cheeks as Dark Green’s body disappeared, like mist in sunlight. All that was left in Vio’s arms was the rusty sword.

_Of course,_ Vio thought, an image of the statues and their empty hands rising in his mind. _Four keys. Four swords. How stupid of me not to realize it sooner._

He had to get up. He had to pick up the sword and take it back to the statues. He had to find his brothers, to make sure they were safe, to make sure they understood the horrible truth of what he’d just learned.

But his legs refused to move.

_How can I am supposed to stop this?_ thought Vio. Dark Green’s sword, suddenly an immense weight in his hands, was impossible to lift. _I should have asked for more. I need to know more. How can I save everyone when I know so little?_

_What am I supposed to do now?_

Shadow’s voice whispered the answer in his heart. **“Find me, Vio.”**

“I will,” promised Vio. To speak hurt, as if each word was being cut by the broken pieces of his heart. Gripping Dark Green’s sword tight, he finally stood up. “I will find you and I will stop this from happening. No matter what it takes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> working chapter title from my notes: "the manga redux"
> 
> me: I hate writing fight scenes.  
> also me: hey, how about I write a fic where most chapters are centred around a hugely important fight scene?
> 
> which four-sword boy will we follow next time, and who will they fight? you will have to wait and see :)


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What kind of creature was it? A hinox? Blue had seen them in Wild’s Hyrule and had been itching to take one down himself. Or some sort of stalfos, with a giant sword Blue could keep as a trophy and use to terrify that gatekeeper into letting them out of the damn dungeon. Or maybe it was a dragon! 
> 
> Blue listened again, ready for growling or roars. But the noise only grew more and more pathetic, warping into sobs.
> 
> Someone was crying.

Blue was gonna die of boredom before he ever found the stupid key.

There was nothing to do down here! No traps to avoid, no monsters to smash. Even a puzzle would have given him something to do, and he hated puzzles! Each new corridor and room he entered, he scanned for danger, for the possibility of a fight. So far, every single one of them had been empty. There weren’t even any pots to break! Not one! Just empty rooms with weird old pictures decorating the walls.

If Vio were there, he would have wasted a ton of time wanting to look at them and make notes and lecture Blue about the _‘importance of understanding the past’_ and blah blah blah. Whatever. Blue couldn't have cared less what the dungeon used to be. Right now it was an obstacle, a Hylia-damn test of Blue’s nearly nonexistence patience.

And the heat! Even underground the air was warm, the temperature rising as Blue made his way further in. _Was this place built near a volcano or something?_ The back of his neck was getting sticky with sweat, discomfort feeding his temper.

_I’m gonna be so pissed if the others get to fight and I don’t._

It was, without a doubt, the worst dungeon Blue had ever been trapped in. Ever.

_Legend could have left us something to do,_ thought Blue. Pink-haired asshole had done too good a job. Probably had taken all the cool stuff too. _His bag’s probably jammed full of treasure that we could be using if he hadn’t snatched it up first. If he’d just left behind twenty-freakin-rupees, we could have grabbed those, shoved them in that stupid gatekeeper’s face, and then be gone by now. If -_

_\- oh crap,_ thought Blue, a terrible idea rising in his mind. _What if Legend took the keys with him too?_

Which meant that they were doing all of this for nothing! With a scream, Blue kicked the nearby wall, breaking some of the fragile stone. Now they would never be able to leave! Blue had told the others that they should have just forced the gatekeeper to let them out, but _no_ , they had to be _polite_.

He was ready to turn around and march back to the others when a sound caught his ears.

A sniffling, hiccuping, gasping sort of sound.

_Monster?_ Blue grinned, greedy for action. Instinct took over, his hand ready at his sword. Keeping his steps quiet - he didn’t want the creature to hear him and run away - he marched towards the sound.

What kind of creature was it? A hinox? Blue had seen them in Wild’s Hyrule and had been itching to take one down himself. Or some sort of stalfos, with a giant sword Blue could keep as a trophy and use to terrify that gatekeeper into letting them out of the damn dungeon. Or maybe it was a dragon!

Blue listened again, ready for growling or roars. But the noise only grew more and more pathetic, warping into sobs.

Someone was crying.

And there was only one person Blue knew who could be crying in this dungeon.

Red.

That idiot! How’d he even get to this side? Didn’t he walk down a whole other passageway?“Red?” Blue yelled out, all stealth and battle-plans tossed to the side. “That better not be you I’m hearing!”

The crying grew louder.

_Yep,_ thought Blue, his excitement souring into annoyance. He would know those tears anywhere. _That’s Red._

_Dammit! I never should have let him go alone._

“Did you get lost?” Blue stomped down the hallway, all previous caution gone as he made his way towards the room up ahead where the crying was coming from. _One fight, that was all I wanted. Just one fight._ “Stay there, crybaby. I’m coming.”

“NO! STAY AWAY!”

Blue flinched at the words, at the sheer agony that burned in them. A hundred worst-case scenarios flashed through his mind. Red, surrounded by monsters. Red, bleeding out on the ground. Red, trapped under fallen rocks and slowly running out of air. Nightmare after nightmare after nightmare.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“LEAVE ME ALONE!”

_Like hell I will._ “I’m coming!” Blue screamed back, and raced towards his brother. Sword out, he was ready for anything.

Except, there wasn’t anything in the room but Red.

Blue couldn’t see any blood or monsters. No traps that had been accidentally triggered. Just an empty room with faint burn scars littering the floor. Had that idiot made him worry for nothing?

Red was huddled in the corner, as far back as he could possibly go. Wailing, shuddering, shaking back and forth. The air was unbearably hot, tasting like smoke in Blue’s lungs. The heat pressed against his skin. Could you get sunburnt underground? It felt like his skin was going to break out into blisters.

With a scowl, Blue sheathed his blade and marched up to the far corner. “Dammit, Red,” he said, temper sharpening his words. “What’s got you crying now?”

He reached out to shake his brother’s shoulder.

Red’s head snapped up.

Black tears ran down his face. Like tar, they scorched the skin on his cheeks. Terrible burns, black and blistering, covered his hands, melding some of his fingers together. All the warmth, the amber light that had once shone with pure emotion, had been extinguished from his eyes. They were blank white. Empty.

_His eyes -_ Blue’s heart froze. _Hylia, what the fuck happened to his eyes -_

_Who did this to my brother?_

Dark Red took one look at Blue and screamed. “I SAID STAY AWAY!”

A force of hot air slammed into Blue’s chest, throwing him halfway across the room.

Pain brought Blue back to his senses. Red was many things, but he wasn’t a sorcerer. He needed a fire rod to indulge in arson, and their fire rod was Hylia-knew-where with all of their other stuff.

Which meant that this couldn’t be Red, right?

Unless he was infected with something. Could dark magic give you elemental powers?

Whatever was happening, it wasn’t an illusion. There were too many similarities for Dark Red to be fake.

“Red - ”

“I’m not your Red!” Dark Red stood up, the ground around his feet starting to smoke. “No, I am! But I’m not! I - I - “ he wailed. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

“What does any of that even mean?”

“I don’t know anymore! It happened too long ago and everything turns to ash in my mind and - and - and - “ he yanked on his hair, strands of gold ripping out and falling to the floor. “I want it to be over! Hylia, please, I’m sorry! I tried to stop it! I tried and I’m sorry!”

Sick to his stomach, Blue suddenly wished the other two were there. Green could have calmed Dark Red down. Vio would have figured out what the hell was going on. He needed them to make whatever was wrong right.

_So, I’ll bring this idiot to them,_ thought Blue. _I’ll make him listen, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll knock sense into him until he does._

“Look,” said Blue, “I have no idea what you’re saying, but whatever you are, you’re Red. Past, present, future idiot; I don’t care. You’re hurt, so shut up and let me help you.” Blue tried to sound like Green, all cheerful and reassuring, his hand outstretched.

  
“No!” screamed Dark Red. “Not again!”

With a sword as half-melted as he was, Dark Red slashed out.

Blue barely dodged in time. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Stay away from me!”

“I’m trying to help you!”

“Liar!” Dark Red only continued to flail at Blue with his sword. Black tears dripped down his face. Blue could hear them sizzle against Dark Red’s skin. The floor around him turned to puddles of sludge, boiling and bubbling, clogging up the air with tar and smoke. “You just want to fight! You always do. That’s all you ever want! I bet you came in here hoping for one!” 

Guilt spiked through Blue. _Not like this_ , he thought, the melting floor burning the sides of his boots. “You’re the one fighting.”

“You have your sword out too!”

“Because you’re swinging yours at me! What am I supposed to do, let you cut off my head?”

“Just go away! I hate you! I hate you!”

That ripped into Blue’s heart. His eyes started to water. Damn smoke, he thought, blinking fast. “You can hate me all you want, I’m still gonna save you!”

“Liar, liar! I’m not believing you this time! I did before and it ruined me! It ruined all of us!”

Out of all of his brothers, Blue had duelled against Red the least. When Blue sparred with Green or Vio, Red would be inside baking cookies or cheering everyone on from the sidelines. On the rare occasions when Red did fight, he was defensive, letting his opponents attack first. Dark Red did not fight like that. Wailing and burning, he blindly swung at Blue.

The room around them continued to melt.

Blue’s hands moved on their own. Instinct lead, blocking and parrying while Blue’s mind whirled in confusion. Every time he took one step forward, Dark Red pushed him two steps back. How the hell was he supposed to disarm Dark Red when he couldn’t get close?

_He’s gonna burn his own feet off if he doesn’t stop doing this_ , thought Blue.

“Dammit, Red - “

Dark Red kept rambling, stumbling and slashing. “You didn’t listen to me! None of you, none of you! No matter what I said, you kept pushing it aside. You’re over-reacting, Red. It’s not as bad as it seems, Red. Trust Vio, Red, he knows what he’s doing. It will be fine, Red, I promise. No matter how many times I tried to stop us, none of you ever listened to me! Over and over and over and over and over - “

“Stop it!” yelled Blue.

“You’re doing it again!” wailed Dark Red. “You’re not listening to me!”

Blue tried not to think about what those words meant. “I don’t care what future me did. I’m telling you now that we can help you. I'm trying to help you!”

“I won’t believe you this time! I did before, over and over! So stupid, I was so stupid and Hylia punished us for this.” Sobs tore out of Dark Red’s throat, his whole body shaking with grief and madness. “Never again, never again, never again!”

There was barely any floor left. Blue and Dark Red were trapped on a small island of stone, surrounded by the black ooze that bubbled and burned. Smoke made it hard to breathe or see clearly. Blue was faintly aware that if it stayed like this for much longer, he’d end up passing out.

“Please,” he said, close to begging. He held out his hand again. “Please, Red, believe me.”

“Never!” Dark Red stepped back, his left foot aimed to go straight into the boiling sludge.

“Watch out!” Blue grabbed Dark Red’s tunic with his free hand and yanked him away from the danger.

“No!” Dark Red’s sword lashed out at Blue’s neck.

Instinct took over. Without thinking, Blue swung his own blade. It countered, perfectly, and struck Dark Red straight through the heart.

Dark Red’s crying was cut off in a gasp, all noise and movement suddenly still. The sludge around them slowly began to cool, hardening back to normal.

Blue’s sword slipped from his grasp. There was ice in his limbs as he tried - failed - to catch Dark Red in time. Everything fell to the floor as Blue starred at his hands, unable to understand what he’d just done.

“I didn’t mean - “ His hands started to shake as Blue dropped to his knees. “I just wanted to - “ _No no no, Hylia, no, this wasn’t supposed to happen!_

“Its okay,” Dark Red whispered.

“No, it’s not.” _No, no, no!_ “Dammit, Red, if you had just believed me - “

“I’m sorry,” said Dark Red. His eyes were amber again, warm and soft. The light in them was fading away slowly, like dying embers. “I’m sorry.”

“Shut up,” said Blue. “I just wanted to help. I didn’t mean to do this. Just - don’t go.”

He pulled Dark Red close.

“You still have the other me,” said Dark Red. He’d stopped crying, the black tears no longer scorching his face. “The one who came with you, the one from your time.”

“I still don’t understand what any of that means,” said Blue. “How are there two of you? How’d you get so messed up?”

“Not just me, all of us. We messed up, Blue. We messed up badly and that turned us into this.” Dark Red sighed. “I should have argued more. I should have made you all listen. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I - I - I’m scared, Blue. I’m so scared. I don’t want to wake up and be like this any more.”

“Its okay,” said Blue. The words, the uselessness of them, hurt his tongue, but they were all he had to give. “Everything will be fine. We’ll fix this in the past, and you’ll never have to go through any of this in the first place. Okay? Trust me.”

Dark Red gave him a wobbly smile. “You’re lying again, Blue. You just don’t know it yet.”

Then he vanished, leaving behind only his ruined sword.

Blue’s mind went blank. His hands, acting on their own again, picked up Dark Red’s sword. Gripped the melted hilt tight enough to draw blood.

And every possible emotion tore out of his heart in a scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> working chapter title from my notes: you all knew it had to happen
> 
> two down, two to go. Which four-sword boy will we follow next, and who will they fight? see you all next chapter.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red put the book back down, looked around the room again. This was the last room in his part of the dungeon, which meant the key had to be in here. Maybe it was inside one of the books? Or maybe one of the books was the key?
> 
> I wish the others were here, he thought. They’d know what to do.
> 
> Where to start? With the ones on the shelves? Trying to decide made Red dizzy. He stepped back and nearly fell over another pile of books, knocking half of them to the floor. “Sorry!” Red quickly knelt down and began to re-stack them. 
> 
> Cold steel bit into his throat. “I told you to stay out of my library.”

A thousand worries wrenched at Red’s heart as he walked deeper into the dungeon.

Every small sound was magnified; every crunch of stone sent a sharp spike of panic through his mind. He couldn't turn a corner without expecting to see another face - sneering, eerie grin, bloody weapon in hand. Hidden monsters, hidden traps, hidden secrets that would swallow all four of them up and never let them see the Light World again.

_I hate it here,_ he thought, anxiety squeezing his heart. _I hate it here and I’m going to die here and the others are going to hate me for it._

Okay, maybe he was being a little ridiculous. Red could admit that. He’d been teased often enough by the others - mostly Blue - on how he felt too much. He could be brave! The light had chosen him, just like it had chosen the others. But there was just something about the dungeon that made his heart shiver. A darkness unlike anything he’d felt before, but also - and this was the worst part, the part that really made him scared - very, terribly familiar.

_I wish one of the others was here with me,_ he thought. _I wish all of them were here. We should have stayed together in this place._

But no matter how much he worried, no monsters jumped out of the shadows. All Red could see were empty rooms and dim-lit walls. Faded murals decorated them, and every time Red glanced at the pictures he was filled with sadness. People lived here once. Told stories, and loved those stories so much that they etched and painted them onto stone to be remembered forever. Maybe these rooms had once been their homes, filled with visiting friends and feasts and music? Filled with happiness, until something had poisoned it.

All those joyful memories, snuffed out by the Dark World’s corruption.

It nearly made Red cry.

_Please, Nayru, let my brothers and I find no enemies. Let us stay safe from whatever infected this place. Please._

A tiny part of his heart hoped that he was being silly. That he’d find the key and make it back to the others with no trouble. Just once, Red wanted to an adventure that didn’t involve require him to use a weapon. Not because he couldn’t fight! No matter what Blue said, Red knew he could use his sword as well as the others. He just didn’t see why violence always had to be the first-and-only option. Wasn’t it possible to be heroic in other ways? To listen, to use words, to try and understand your opponents side; that required as much courage as swinging a sword, didn’t it?

_I’m just being a baby and worrying over nothing,_ he thought, wrapping his arms around himself. _Do what Green always says: breathe. This next room will be empty, just like all the rest of them. And so will the next one, and the next. And everything will be fine._

Except, the next room wasn’t empty.

Books cluttered the small space. Some were lined up on broken shelves, but most were scattered in piles on the floor. Carefully, Red picked one up. Inside the yellow-edged pages were thick paragraphs of Hylian text. Red could read it, but he couldn’t understand it. Something about dark magic? Crystals? Moon pearls, magic mirrors? Even harder to understand were the notes that someone had scribbled in the margins. The faded, fancy cursive was a struggle to decipher.

_Last chance…more heat?…bring us back to Hy…will convince…must work…_

Red put the book back down, looked around the room again. This was the last room in his part of the dungeon, which meant the key had to be in here. Maybe it was inside one of the books? Or maybe one of the books was the key?

_I wish the others were here. They’d know what to do._

Where to start? With the ones on the shelves? Trying to decide made Red dizzy. He stepped back and nearly fell over another pile of books, knocking half of them to the floor. “Sorry!” Red quickly knelt down and began to re-stack them.

Cold steel bit into his throat. “I told you to stay out of my library.”

“Vio?”

That sounded like his brother, but the words didn’t make sense. Their home was Grandfather’s forge, not this dank dungeon. Vio didn’t have a library; he just took whatever book he wanted from Hyrule Castle, with Zelda’s permission, of course.

“Why do you insist on asking questions you already know the answers to?”

“I’m sorry,” said Red. The Vio-sounding monster - because it had to be a monster, it couldn’t be his brother, could it? - hadn’t cut his head off yet, and Red really wanted to get the sword away from his neck. “I was just putting them back.”

“You touched them?” All of the monster’s interest went to the books, and Red was given the chance to step away as it pulled the stack from Red’s hands. “You didn’t cry on them, did you? These are too important for you to burn.”

Red moved away from the blade, turning so that he could see the creature clearly.

Immediately, he wished he hadn’t.

It was Vio. Vio’s face and Vio’s amethyst tunic and Vio’s voice. All of it was his brother. But it was also all wrong. Red could see into his chest, the body cracked open like a geode. No blood or bone - Red would have fainted if there had been - but stones. Crystals. Sharp-tipped, filling up the space where his heart should have been. Hard and cold, like quartz, the same blank white colour as his eyes.

Red wanted to scream. Tried. His mouth refused to work.

“Not burned,” said Dark Vio, placing the books on a shelf. “Good. Yes, I am aware that I’ve already read these ones, but that doesn’t mean I will not read them again. I might have missed something.”

Red’s legs wouldn’t move either.

_This isn’t a monster. This isn’t a monster, this is worse. This is worse this is worse this is so much worse oh Hylia, help -_

Dark Vio continued to talk. “No, I did not tell that fool he could come in here. None of them are allowed to come in here. My work is too important to be interrupted. Don’t be foolish. You’re the exception. You know that.”

_Who is he talking to? No one else is in here with us. Unless…!_

Holding his breath, not sure if he wanted to be right or if he wanted to be wrong, Red glanced down at the floor around Dark Vio’s feet. At the patch of light that surrounded him.

Nothing.

Dark Vio had no shadow.

But he was talking to Red now, a rusted sword replacing the books in his hands. “Just because you all destroyed your parts of the palace does not mean mine are open for your tantrums. Or do I need to hurt you again to make you remember? Blue still has some parts of his basement still standing. Melt those, if you can stomach being near him for that long.”

“…right,” said Red, his voice tiny as he slowly began to back out of the room. “I’m, um, sorry…I’ll be going now.” _I need to find the others - I need to find the others -I need to find the others right now!_

Dark Vio stopped. Turned and studied Red with cold, unblinking eyes. “Wait. You’re not Red, are you?”

“Um…yes? No?”

Dark Vio narrowed his eyes. “You are and you are not. Not the one I know, but still Red all the same. There’s too much light in your soul. I can feel it burning in you from here.”

“I’m sorry,” Red said again, because he didn’t know what else to say. “I was just looking for a key. You, um, are really busy and, so, I’ll leave! Right now.”

_I need to go. I need to find the others. I need Vio and Green and Blue I need somebody help -_

There was a moment of silence. Dark Vio leaned his head to the side, as if listening to someone whisper in his ear. “You’re right. We could do that. It would be very, very useful.”

Red did not like the sound of that. “Vio?”

Dark Vio waved his hand. Spikes erupted from the floor behind Red, cutting him off from the exit. “You’re not leaving. Not until I’m done with you.”

“Please, Vio,” said Red. If this was his brother - was it his brother? how could it be his brother? _please don’t be my brother_ \- then maybe Red could convince him not to fight. “Please, don’t.”

Dark Vio lunged.

There was barely any time for Red to raise his blade.

An avalanche of sword swings and strikes fell on Red, slash after slash after slash. Red parried each lethal attack. This was even worse than their practice matches. He’d watched Vio fight with the others before. Ruthless, constantly calculating his opponent’s next moves and how best to counter them. There would be no half-smile if Red messed up, no friendly, out-stretched hand to help him back on his feet. No words of advice or encouragement. One slip up, and he was dead.

_Was this how Green felt at Death Mountain?_

“He’s crying again.” Dark Vio said to his imaginary shadow. “Do you see? I agree. All he ever does is cry.”

_I am?_ Red hadn’t realized that tears had started to stream down his face. “I don’t want to fight you,” he pleaded.

“I don’t care.”

More spikes rose behind Red, nearly impaling his feet. One grazed against his arm, slicing above his elbow. Red didn’t have a chance to look down to see how bad it was; he could only feel the blood drip down his skin. To take his eyes off Dark Vio would have meant instant death.

“Of course I’m sure. Fresh blood is what we need. Blood and light magic. I can’t acquire that from the other Red, but this one…No, no. A drop alone won’t do. We tried that before, remember? We need more.” Greed dripped in every word. “More and more and more. I must know more. It could work. It will work. It will fix everything.”

“Fix what?” Red found the courage to ask.

That broke Dark Vio out of his rambling, his relentless attacks halting for a brief moment. “I…I’m trying…I promised I’d…” Confusion grew on his face. “There was something important I was trying to do, wasn’t there?” He took a step back, blank eyes frantically searching the ground. “Shadow?”

Red’s heart broke. “Vio…”

“Enough. You don’t understand. You never did! None of you could possibly understand what I learned, what I had to learn in order to achieve our goals. All you lot did was get in the way. Especially you. Useless, rambling, idiot! I have spent uncountable years bound to this place with the lot of you. If not for Shadow, I would have gone mad.”

And even though Dark Vio was trying to kill him, Red said the next words as gently as possible. “Shadow isn’t here.”

“SHUT UP!”

The ground beneath Red’s feet shook, the whole world violently shivering. Spikes pierced through the floor and walls, destroying the books, almost skewering both fighters.

_My brother’s going to kill me._ Red’s thoughts spun, frantic and desperate. He had no more space to move, no exit or end in sight except defeat. _If I miss one hit, just one, then I’m dead. I can’t block him forever and he knows it. What do I do? What would the others do? Fight back? But I can’t fight like them! I’m not strong enough._

But if Red wanted to live, he was going to have to be.

_I can’t be stronger than Vio, then I need to be smarter._ An impossible idea, but it was his only chance. _I need to do something he would do, something he’d never think I’d try to do myself._

A tiny plan bloomed in his mind, a spark of hope in the darkness.

_If this works, then I’ll live. I’ll be able to make it back to the others._

_If this works, I’ll never forgive myself either._

But it was the only plan he had.

Red dashed forward, with his arms outstretched not to attack but to hug.

And Dark Vio, in that moment, went absolutely still. Red had half a second to wonder how long it had been, how many terrible dark years had gone by since Dark Vio had received any sort of warm kindness or affection.

Then with all the strength he could, Red jammed his sword deep into Dark Vio’s unguarded back.

“Oh.” Dark Vio’s eyes went wide. “Clever.”

They both collapsed onto the floor, Red’s arms still locked tight around Dark Vio. “I’m sorry,” he sobbed, rocking his brother’s body back and forth in his arms. “I was just - I was so scared, and you wouldn’t let me leave. You wouldn’t stay away and wanted to kill me and I didn’t know what to do and I - I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“No, Red. I’m sorry.” Dark Vio’s eyes were amethyst again, full of patience and love and guilt. “I wasn’t able to keep my promise.”

“Promise?” repeated Red. His tears dripped down onto Dark Vio’s face.

“To Green. To all of us. And I never found - ” His voice broke. “You were right. We didn’t listen. I’m sorry for that Red. You were right, and none of us listened to you.”

“But you’re so smart! Vio, you know everything, so I must have been wrong - “

“No.” Dark Vio reached up, put a hand on Red’s head and pulled him in closer. “I remember, Red, I almost remember it. I know I was wrong. Stupid, so stupid. It will happen again for you.”

“What will? What does any of this mean?”

“When you find the others, when you find the other me, you need to keep them from making the same mistakes we - I - did. Don’t trust me. Stop it from happening, Red. Make us listen to you this time.”

“Okay,” said Red. It was hard to speak clearly through all his tears. “I will. I’ll try.”

“Good.” Dark Vio gave him a fond smile and, with the last of his strength, gently ruffled Red’s hair. “I’m proud of you, Red,” he whispered. “I wish I could have done more. I wish…I wish I could see him one more time.”

Then his brother faded, leaving behind only the old books and a ruined sword.

Red picked up Dark Vio’s sword. “I’m sorry,” he whispered again, guilt and grief choking his heart. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He hugged the blade close to his chest, and, sobbing, slowly made his way back to the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy Linktober, everyone!
> 
> also, apparently the Four Swords anniversary was a few days ago, so happy (late) anniversary! have some angst :)
> 
> working title from my notes for this chapter: smart vs HEART
> 
> three down, one more to go. I've loved reading everyone's predictions for who would be facing who. obviously, we all know who that will be next chapter, but what's in store for these boys in the chapter after that...?


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It opened to a wide room, half drowned. Cold water covered the floor, high enough to reach the top of Green’s ankles. Pillars, great slabs of stone that once held up the ceiling, were smashed, their rumbled remains scattered across the room. Dark magic must have been the only thing keeping the whole place from caving in.
> 
> Did Legend do this? What kind of monster did he fight? I’ll have to ask him about it later. I have so many questions about this place. 
> 
> Green had no more time to wonder, no chance to explore. He’d only taken two steps in when a furious scream came charging at him.

With no monsters to be on the lookout for or puzzles to worry about, Green allowed himself to daydream as he wandered through the dungeon.

_What would it be like to live in a place like this?_

Okay, obviously it would be miserable. But what if it wasn’t stuck in the Dark World? Green imagined it as it could have been, full of gardens and kitchens and life. Visiting the different versions of Hyrule - and the different homes of the various heroes - had made him think more and more about where he (they, Four) currently lived. About where they could live later in the future.

It wasn’t that he didn’t love his grandfather’s forge. Green did! But it was getting cramped. Especially when Four chose to become, well, four. Technically, since his father was a knight, he was allowed to inherit one of the small stone palaces that the royal family rewarded to Hylians of high service. A place like that could be perfect for all of them. More space to spread out when they wanted independence. Zelda could visit for longer periods of time without her advisors bemoaning about it being improper for a person of her status. Vio could have his own library; Red could have an entire room for his plushies. Blue could even have his own training grounds! They’d have parties, filled with both Minish and Hylian guests.

Nothing like this dark and dreary dungeon.

Still, he liked the murals, the idea of covering the walls with stories instead of plain stone. A good way to record memories. _It’s not like we have Wild’s Sheikah Slate or Wind’s Picto Box,_ he thought. _Only, I’d get people to make ones of my - our - Link’s adventures._ He could see it in his mind: paintings of Ezlo and the Minish, of Vaati and Dot and Shadow. _None of the others know much about our time. This could be a way to pass down our adventures! This way the Minish would be remembered, and other heroes could grow up seeing their shadow as a friend instead of an adversary._

_We’d pass on our stories and never be forgotten._

The memory of a grouchy, old voice from a long ago adventure rose in his mind. _“Building castles in the air? Now of all times?”_ Green could picture Ezlo, hear his exasperated sigh. _“Focus, Link. Focus!”_

But there wasn’t anything to focus on. Just empty darkness, washed away pictures, and -

\- wait. That sound. Was that…water?

Green stopped to listen. It was water! Dripping, trickling down the sides of the walls. Tiny puddles started to form on the floor, and a chill began to fill the passageway.

_Where is that coming from?_ he wondered. The puddles became more frequent the further in he walked, the air getting colder and colder until Green could see his breath. The wet, cold ground lead to a staircase, plunging the path into darkness.

A basement? Green looked around. It wasn’t like there was anywhere else he could go. Besides, the dungeon had been monster free so far.

_I water where it leads?_

He snickered at his own joke, a little sad the others weren’t there to hear it, and descended down.

It opened to a wide room, half drowned. Cold water covered the floor, high enough to reach the top of Green’s ankles. Pillars, great slabs of stone that once held up the ceiling, were smashed, their rumbled remains scattered across the room. Dark magic must have been the only thing keeping the whole place from caving in.

Did Legend do this? What kind of monster did he fight? _I’ll have to ask him about it later. I have so many questions about this place._

Green had no more time to wonder, no chance to explore. He’d only taken two steps in when a furious scream came charging at him.

Water drenched Green’s tunic as he rolled out of the way. The space where he’d just stood went crunch, as a figure smashed into the ground with all its strength. Green was able to get a brief glimpse - hair over eyes, frost crusted tunic - before it attacked again, thrashing at Green with a broken, jagged edged sword.

A humanoid shaped monster, moving too fast for Green to see its face. _A wizzrobe?_ He’d never seen one like this before. _Guess Legend must have missed this one._

“You may have escaped the Hero of Legend, but you won’t survive me,” said Green. He struck back at the creature. “Green, Hero of the Four Sword. Nice to make your _aquatience_.”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

Green stumbled. The enemy blade missed his neck by an inch.

That - that was Blue’s voice. But why was this monster using Blue’s voice? _Had it stolen it somehow?_

The thought drained away Green’s humour and bravo. He slammed against the monster’s side, knocking it off balance and into the water. Green aimed the tip of his blade at its throat. “What did you do to my brother?”

It growled, its whole body shaking. Slowly, it lifted up its head, hair pushed back away from its eyes. Now, Green could see it clearly.

Not a wizzrobe. Not a monster.

Blue.

“No…” Green stumbled back, water heavy against his boots. Had he hit his head? Fallen asleep? _This has to be a nightmare. Wake up. Wake up wake up wake up -_

Dark Blue’s skin was tarnished, covered in patches of sickly, turquoise-coloured rust. Like corrosion on a copper coin. Like mold growing on rotten, waterlogged wood. One patch stretched over his where his right eye should have been. The remaining eye was white, blank. Empty.

_Oh Hylia, I’m going to throw up._

“What did I do?” Dark Blue stood up, snarling. “What did I do? WHAT DID YOU DO TO ALL OF US?”

“I…I…I don’t…” Green choked on the words, on all the questions and fear. “How did you…” 

“You were our leader! You could have stopped this! You could have chosen not to follow Vio’s advice! Could have ripped up those books and smashed that damn mirror again! Could have been stronger than that fucking spell so we didn’t get stuck here!” Dark Blue swung his broken sword at the air, stomping and splashing and freezing the ground. “But you didn’t! You didn’t! It was all just a joke to you, wasn’t it? Isn’t it? All our pain. Our failure. Our wasted lives. You did nothing but lead us to ruin and now all you do is laugh at us!”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.” _What does he mean? Is it because I made us split up in this dungeon? But corruption that deep can’t happen in an hour. Can it?_ “Is this more timeline madness?”

“Madness?” Resentment dripped from each word Dark Blue spat out, as terrible as venom. “You don’t know shit about madness. Not yet.”

Green’s sword felt heavy in his hands, almost impossible to hold. He wanted to close his eyes and cover his ears. He wanted his grandfather, or his father, or Ezlo. He desperately wanted his brothers.

But they weren’t there, and the future-corrupted one that was in front of him needed help.

No, not help.

Dark Blue needed to be stopped.

Green had sworn an oath. As Link, as Four, as a knight of Hyrule; to fight darkness and spread the light. To battle monsters of all shapes and sizes, so that those who had no sword or power could be kept safe and free.

_A hero must defeat evil, no matter who or what that evil is._

“I’m sorry, Blue,” Green said, shielding his heart for what he had to do. Raising his blade to fight again.

“No,” sneered Dark Blue. “You’re not.”

They rushed at each other.

For a moment there were no words, just the sounds of their swords clashing, icy water crashing as they matched attack for attack. Dark Blue was a storm of rage, bashing his blade against Green as though it was a hammer. Water dragged at Green’s feet, slowed his steps. More and more of the ground became slick with ice. Green was nearly stabbed in the eye when one wrong step had him slipping sideways. Dark Blue had no such problems. Liquid, frozen; the water did not faze him. Nothing did. His rage powered each motion, freezing and smashing everything in his path.

_Think, think!_ What did Green know about Blue? They’d sparred dozens of times. Hundreds. _I need an opening. I can’t wear him down, not when he has this much power. I need to make him mess up. I need to make him angry._

And even though he was fighting his brother, even though his heart was being torn in half and his sword arm was screaming from the fight, Green almost grinned. _I know exactly what to do._

Green stepped back before Dark Blue could smash his brains onto the ice. “Careful where you step, Blue!” He called out, his tone as light and easy as if this was just a practice duel. “You wouldn’t want to _slip_ up.”

The joke struck Dark Blue in the heart. Green could see his twisted brother flinch at the words. He snarled, trying to crush Green beneath the jagged edge of his sword.

But Green spun out of the way, keeping his own stance defensive. _Wait for the opening_ , he told himself. It tore his throat to speak so breezily while trying to kill his own brother. He pulled his mouth into a grin, struggling to keep it on his face. Struggling not to break down and cry.

“Don’t _freeze_ up now! We’ve only just started!”

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Dark Blue charged at Green and nearly slid into one of the pillars.

_It’s working,_ thought Green. _He’s starting to get sloppy._ A couple more jokes, that’s all Green had to do. Just one or two more and he’d have what he wanted.

_Oh, Hylia, why does it hurt so much when I speak?_

“What happened to your sword, anyway? It doesn’t look so _ice_ anymore. Too bad. It used to be so _cool_.”

And then, the horror of it all - Dark Blue’s existence, the fight, the fear, the stupid jokes - became too much. Pressed a little too hard against Green’s heart, made a crack. Against his will, Green started to giggle.

Dark Blue’s eyes went wide and wild with utter loathing.

“STOP FUCKING LAUGHING!”

Dark Blue swung, the arc too high, too wide. Green ducked under it, then jabbed his sword straight up through Dark Blue’s chest.

“I…messed up?” Dark Blue’s knees buckled, and he crumped to the floor.

The water around them unfroze, evaporating into mist.

Green put a hand tight against his mouth, pressed and pressed until the laughter that shook inside him disappeared. Until he could breath and speak again with feeling like he was going to unravel.

_What was that?_

“Green?” a weak voice called out.

“I’m here.” Green put his sword away, and knelt beside what was left of his brother. Gently, he lifted Dark Blue’s head and laid it on his lap. “Good fight.”

“You got lucky.” Now those eyes looked like his brother’s again. Fiercely determined, stubborn and bright and brilliantly blue. “You’re crying. Cut it out. Winner’s shouldn’t cry.”

Green rubbed his cheeks, as though that would stop all his tears. “Welcome back, Blue.”

“Yeah, well, I won’t be me for very long.” He coughed, a wet, rattling sound. “Listen - ”

“Its okay - “

“No, shut up and listen to me. I need to tell you this. I need to tell you as much as I can before it all becomes fucking darkness again. I need to make sure you don’t mess up.”

“I’ll be okay.”

“The fuck you will. You’ll take these damn swords and open up nothing but misery.”

“I - ”

“Green,” and now Dark Blue’s eyes were desperate, struggling to stay awake and aware. “Please. Let me do this. Let me help.”

“Okay,” said Green. “Tell me what you can.”

“We were scared. That was the problem. It started okay, or we thought it did. Then it all went to hell. Messed with stuff we shouldn’t have messed with. Hid things from Zelda, and once she found out and banned us from Hyrule Castle, we did things even worse. Not that we realized it. We stopped trusting each other. Stopped talking, stopped listening, stopped caring, stopped helping. Started hurting and hiding and ruining each other because there was nothing else to do. By the time we had that damn mirror and tried to fix everything, it was too late for anything to go right. We fell, Green. We fell in here, into darkness, and with nothing else to do we tore each other apart.” He looked ready to cry. “I’m sorry.”

“Its okay,” said Green. “Its alright. We just got a little lost, that’s all. But don’t worry, I’ll get us back on the right track. I’ll keep us all together so that it doesn’t happen.” He didn’t have much time left. Dark Blue was fading, both figuratively and literally. There was still one thing Green had to know. “Blue, what’s going to happen when we open the barrier?”

“Nothing good,” said Dark Blue. “Obviously. Don’t be an idiot, Green. You know you’re gonna have to fight something bad. That pink-haired asshole fought us before, but he wasn’t us. You are. You’re…doing something different. I remember…” his eyes started to cloud. “Dammit, what the hell did I remember? What did I forget? I knew it from before, I know I did. What’s at the end of everything?”

“It’s ‘g’.”

“What?”

“You asked what was at the end of everything, right?” Green gave him a watery smile. “The answer’s ‘g’, of course.” He tried to laugh, tried to see if he could make his brother smile, just a little bit. Just a tiny spark of light before the darkness overtook him completely.

And, by some divine miracle or mercy, Dark Blue did smile. “Hylia, you and your stupid jokes. I missed those.”

Then he was gone.

All of Dark Blue vanished, except for his broken sword.

Green picked it up, and stood up on unsteady legs.

_A hero must defeat evil, no matter who or what that evil is._

_I have to find the others,_ Green thought. His feet moved on their own, back the way they’d come before. His mind spiralled, desperate to make sense of what had just happened. Of what could possibly happen next. _I have to find them, and we need to get out of here._

_And then I have to make sure that this never happens ever again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> working chapter title from my notes: press x to taunt
> 
> and all the individual fights are done! these past chapters have been so much fun to write. thank you everyone who has read this story so far. 
> 
> coming up next: the finale! how will their reunion go? and what will our boys find behind that barrier? i'm sure nothing terrible will happen whatsoever :p


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Together, they placed the swords they had collected into the statues’ outstretched hands. Each sword turned black, then the same empty, harsh white as the barrier. They rose into the air, an ugly collection of dark magic, soaring and circling each other before piercing the barrier. 
> 
> It shattered. Broke into a thousand fragments, like a glass. 
> 
> Like a mirror.

Green was the first to return to the main room, the barrier casting a sinister glow on everything it touched. None of the others were there yet. Their absence cut into his heart.

_Where are they? Are they safe? Oh, Hylia, what - who - did they find in their passageways?_

Even while the worry spun his thoughts into a whirlwind, Green’s eyes were drawn to the statues. The broken quartet, their hands raised in a pose he now recognized from doing it so often himself.

_One of those is me. But which one?_ His eyes scanned them for anything familiar. A detail on the tunics, hair, hands; something to help identify his future. But he couldn’t. It was impossible to see himself in the stonework.

He couldn’t see his brothers in it, either.

_What happened to us? We’re heroes! How could we get so lost?_

“Green.”

Green turned, hand flinching to his sword. _Not again, not again, not again -_

But it was Vio, his Vio, whole and uncorrupted, eyes shinning in the dark. Vio marched up, grabbed Green’s shoulders and studied him intently. “Its you.”

Green let his free hand drift away from his blade. “Hey,” he said. “So, this dungeon is…um…” He tried to make a joke. Couldn’t. Tried to smile. Couldn’t do that either. “You fought one too, huh?”

And in that moment, Vio nearly broke. He moved, dropping a sword awfully familiar to Green’s own to the ground, and wrapped his arms around Green in a fierce hug.

Green hugged him back as hard as he could.

When they broke apart, Green pretended not to see Vio wiping his eyes. “At least we have the keys,” he said. Vio’s hand was still on his shoulder, and Green could feel his brother’s fingers trembling.

“Two out of four,” corrected Vio. “We don’t have the complete set yet.”

“Blue and Red will bring theirs back.”

“It’s not our Blue and Red I’m concerned about.”

_They won’t run into a corrupted Blue,_ thought Green. He nearly said the words out loud, but the memory of the fight caused them to get clogged up in his throat. “They’ll be here soon.”

“Yes,” said Vio. “But then what?”

Heavy footsteps broke them out of their conversation. Before either of them could think about danger, Blue burst into the room. He skidded to a stop, panting hard. His face was twisted in pain, like he wanted to scream but no longer had the strength. Blue’s eyes locked on Green and Vio, and he stared at them intently, as though he was afraid they’d change if he glanced away.

“It’s okay, Blue,” said Vio. “It’s us.”

Green said nothing. Stared back. The room was shaking. He was shaking, crying, choking back that damn urge to giggle. _What’s wrong with me?_

Vio’s grip tightened on Green’s shoulder. “Breathe,” he ordered.

Green took in a deep breath. _Don’t fall apart now, not when there’s still work to be done. Be a leader._

Blue took a step closer to them, then froze. Dread filled his eyes. “Where’s Red?” he asked, his voice cracking, pain and panic rising.

“We’re still waiting for him to return,” said Vio.

That only increased Blue’s terror. “Find him. Need to find him. Need to help. Stop.” The words came out jagged, tumbling over each other. He took another step forward and nearly collapsed.

Green was able to make his arms and legs move again. He hurried to Blue’s side, helping him stand up. “It’s okay,” he said, even thought it wasn’t. “It’s okay. Red will be here soon.”

“No, no, no. You don’t know that. You weren’t there! You didn’t see what I did!” A sob tore into his words. The ruined sword in his hand dropped to the floor as he gripped his hair. “I need to - I need to - I need to make sure he’s still alive. Where is he?”

“I’m here,” said a tiny, hollowed-out voice.

They all turned to see Red, slowly walking out of the last passageway. His eyes were puffy, and tear-tracks ran down his cheeks. A ruined sword was in his arms, hugged close to his heart.

Then, for the first time in their lives, Blue ran to Red and wrapped his brother in a tight hug.

And Red did not hug him back.

Instead, he went still, terror and guilt flooding his eyes. Hesitantly, Blue’s arms still locked around him, Red looked up at Green. At Vio.

“I’m sorry,” said Vio. “I said it would be fine, and it wasn’t. I’m so sorry, Red.”

Red broke down into tears.

Green rushed forward, wrapped his arms around both of them. Vio did the same.

For a moment, all the four of them could do was cling to one another in the dark.

***

When they finally found the strength to break apart, they laid the four ruined swords side by side on the ground. Green could hardly look at his own blade, its rusted state making him shudder.

_Grandfather would never have forgiven me for letting it get so degraded._

“Fuck this dungeon,” spat Blue. “Let’s get out of here.”

“It won’t be easy,” warned Green.

“How do you know?” asked Vio.

“In my passageway, when I fought…” He still couldn’t say it, especially not with his Blue standing beside him. “When my fight was done, I was warned about the barrier, and about a danger that lurked beyond it.”

“Warned?” Red’s voice wobbled. “There’s something else here?”

“Breathe, Red,” said Vio.

“No. No, no, no. I don’t want to fight again. Not if it’s going to be us. I can’t. I just can’t.”

“It might not be us,” said Blue. It was weird, listening to him try to be positive. “Maybe it will be Vaati again.”

Green hoped it was Vaati again. How messed up was that? “Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe there’ll be nothing at all.”

None of them believed him.

“And then what?” said Red. “We leave and find the others and then one day wake up turned into…into..”

“Into fucked up versions of ourselves?” finished Blue.

Red went silent.

“We won’t,” said Green.

“No,” agreed Vio, “We won’t. As horrible as this whole experience was, we were fortunate to come here.”

“Fortunate?” Blue spat out the word. Red’s went wide and horrified.

“It gave us a glimpse of what could happen. Nightmarish, yes, but at least now we know. After all,” his lips twitched into a sad smile, “knowledge is key to any victory.”

“Do you have a plan?” asked Green. Vio’s words lit a spark of hope in Green’s heart. A plan was good. A plan was great! It was a starting point, a way the four of them could work together to not only defeat the darkness, but also prevent it.

“I have beginnings of a plan,” said Vio. “It will require research.”

“No,” said Red, his voice so tiny that Green thought he imagined it.

Blue looked up at the barrier and let out a frustrated growl. “I’ll do anything if it means not becoming stuck here for an eternity. I’ll even fucking read if that’s what it takes.”

“We could talk to Zelda when we get back,” suggested Green. “She might have some ideas too.”

“No,” said Red, a little louder, a little more forceful.

But Green ignored it, his imagination spinning Vio’s words into a success. “We could start by looking into moon pearls.”

“And see if the other heroes know anything,” added Blue.

“A dark mirror would also be useful,” said Vio. “Though we’d have to find a gate into the Dark World of our time to gather the pieces.

Bringing dark magic into Hyrule? “Zelda might not like that,” said Green.

“We’ll explain,” said Vio, determination growing stronger in his eyes. “I’m sure she’ll understand once we explain.”

“No!”

“And if she doesn’t?” said Blue.

Vio shrugged. “Then we’ll find another way.”

“LISTEN TO ME!”

Red’s voice, the harshness of it, burnt Green’s ears. He’d never heard his brother sound so desperate before. So furious. Neither had the others. All of them went silent, staring at Red in shock.

“Please,” begged Red, fists clenched at his sides. “Please, listen to me.”

Blue was the first to speak. “Okay,” he said. For some reason there were tears in his throat. “I’m listening, Red. We’re all listening.”

Red took in a deep breath. It looked like it was taking all his bravery to talk. “I don’t think we should be doing any dark magic research.”

Green shook his head. “We can’t just pretend this didn’t happen.”

“That’s not what I mean! I saw - the one I fought with mentioned research. Do you understand? The more dark magic we look into, the more likely we are to get corrupted in the end. We need to stay as close to the light as possible.”

Vio shook his head. “I disagree.”

“Of course _you_ do!” snapped Red. “What’s your plan, Vio? To learn everything about dark magic and start experimenting with it?”

“I'm trying to save us, Red. I’ll do what needs to be done because I want to keep us safe.”

“You only want to do this to get Shadow back!”

Vio’s eyes went as hard and cold as crystal. “We’ll talk about this later.”

“No, we won’t! I know us. Once we’re back with the others, we’ll be Four again. We might not have time to be separate like this. We’ll put it off and make a new plan and none of you will listen to what I’m saying. Please, please, I don’t want this to happen to any of us.” He was shaking now. “I know you want Shadow back. You miss him, more than any of us, more than anything. But that doesn’t mean we can be reckless and meddle with things we’re not supposed to! Don’t you care about what happens to the rest of us?”

Green had no idea what to say to that. Neither did Blue. The two of them watched Red and Vio argue, unable to understand what was happening.

“Of course I care!” Even Vio could not hide the hurt in those words. “Red -” He reached out, eyes narrowing when he spotted something on Red’s arm. “You’re bleeding.”

Red flinched back. “STAY AWAY!”

Vio froze. Blue nearly doubled over, like the words had sucker punched him in the stomach. Green held up his hands and tried to make his voice as soft as possible. “It’s okay,” he said. “Everything’s okay. Let’s all just take a deep breath, alright? Everything’s fine.” The words fell flat. His brothers didn’t believe him. Green didn’t believe himself.

“I’m sorry,” said Red. He wouldn’t meet Vio’s eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to - I didn’t mean it.”

“I understand,” said Vio, wrapping his arms around his chest as though to shield his heart.

Blue stared down at the floor, shaking, fighting back tears.

_How do we heal from this?_ thought Green. They all looked so broken, so lost. _How do I keep us on the right path when we’re already starting to break apart?_

The damn urge to giggle rose up in his throat again, like some sort of curse.

Green followed his own advice and breathed deep. “This isn’t what we should be doing,” he said. “There’s too much still to do, too much we don’t know. Fighting each other right now will only guarantee that our future will…turn out like this. And I am sick of fighting my family.”

“I want to save us,” said Vio. “I want - “ he bit his lip before the rest of the words could escape.

“You want Shadow,” said Red. “I’m so sorry, Vio. I can’t imagine how much you miss him. I’m so, so sorry. But I won’t let us find the mirror. I won’t.”

“Red,” Blue finally spoke. “Maybe Vio has a point.”

“No. Listen to me, Blue - ”

“I am listening,” said Blue. He stepped towards Red, and hesitantly put a hand on the other’s shoulder. “You’re scared. That’s…okay. We’re all scared. But not doing anything won’t keep us safe.”

Green nodded. “I’m sorry, Red, but I agree with Vio on this too.”

A weight seemed to lift from Vio’s shoulders. “I promise you, I only want to help us. I understand that we can’t get Shadow back.”

“You’re lying,” said Red, but his voice was wavering. Never one for confrontations, he couldn’t keep up his argument for much longer, not with both Green and Blue standing against him.

“Look at me,” said Blue. He waited until Red’s amber eyes met his own. “You’ve got to trust us. These messed up versions of ourselves, they don’t trust each other. Hell, they hate each other. We can’t end up like that, so we need to work together and do what we all do best. Vio will research, Green will keep us from getting lost, you’ll keep us from falling into despair, and I’ll…I’ll help in whatever way I can. We do that, and everything will be fine. We’ll fix this now, and none of this will ever happen. Trust me, okay?”

There was a minute of silence, of Red starring hard at Blue, trying not to cry. Finally, to Green’s relief, Red nodded. “Okay,” he said, the anger extinguished from his eyes. “Okay. I believe you, Blue.”

Blue squeezed his shoulder.

“Great,” said Green. “Now that we’re back on the same page, let’s break down this barrier. We have a lot of work to do once we’re out of this place.” He managed to smile, a small piece of warmth and love for his brothers. “Okay?”

“Okay,” said Blue, eager for violence.

“Okay,” said Vio, still guarding his heart.

“…okay,” said Red, reluctantly, wiping away his tears.

Together, they placed the swords they had collected into the statues’ outstretched hands. Each sword turned black, then the same empty, harsh white as the barrier. They rose into the air, an ugly collection of dark magic, soaring and circling each other before piercing the barrier.

It shattered. Broke into a thousand fragments, like a glass.

Like a mirror.

Green and his brothers shared one last look, united in a plan to finally free themselves from the Dark World. This time, they would not be facing whatever dark secret the dungeon held alone. They raised their own swords up high, and then, in a flash, four became Four.

Together as one, Four stepped into the last room.

***

The first thing Four noticed was the smell. The inside reeked of dark magic, sickly and rotten. Whatever lived in there - had lived in there? was currently hiding in there? - had drenched the room in corrupted power. All four elements scarred the walls: burns and frost, cuts and crystal. The warp tile was at the back of the room. With a sprint, Four could have reached it and left the whole dungeon behind. But moving was suddenly impossible.

_(is that? -_ )

In the centre of the room was the large, ornate frame of a heartbreakingly familiar mirror.

Its reflective glass was gone. Now, it looked like an archway, or a gateway to someplace else. The splintered remains of the dark mirror covered the floor. Something - someone? someones? - had smashed and shattered it until it had become nearly as fine as sand.

Four knelt down, scooped up a handful of the black dust.

( _how could we do this? - no - oh, Hylia, is this - we found it - remade it - the other us said - broken now - why didn’t it bring him back? -_ )

The ruined swords hung in the air above him, pulsing with corruption.

( _that’s not good - what are they doing - an attack - a spell - get ready -_ )

Four held up his own blade, unblemished and full of pure light.

Each ruined sword started to shift, to melt and mold and stretch into a more humanoid shape. Four starred up at four figures, and all of his soul cried out in horror, disgust, pity and rage.

The souls merged, dragged into each other almost unwillingly, and then Four was starring up at himself. At a dark reflection of himself, covered in scars, made out of the worst parts of the four souls, a ruined Four Sword in its hands. Four’s once great blade, his proof of courage and heroism, was now littered with rust and fractures.

Its eyes stared back at him. Colourless, hopeless. Eyes blank white and empty.

( _no, no, no - are you fucking kidding me? - not again - I’m sorry, I’m sorry - truly lost - again? we have to do this again? - get ready - be brave - breathe - this time we fight together -_ )

It spoke in a cacophony of voices. Each word changing from one tone to another. Hysteric, loathing, callous, insane.

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO US?”

“You did this to yourself!” Four yelled back.

“I’ll end you!” his dark future screamed. “I’ll kill you and then we’ll be free! Nothing bad can ever happen to us if you’re dead!”

“I don’t know what you did,” said Four, readying himself to fight, “but enough is enough. If this is my future, then I will end it here.”

With a scream, Dark Four charged.

“SHUT UP AND DIE!”

Their swords clashed, loud as thunder. The iridescent light of the Four Sword glowed stronger with each blow Four landed against its corrupted future. There was no break in Dark Four’s attacks, no pausing in its onslaught of violence and hate.

( _dodge! - they’re in so much pain - smash them - make them talk - we need to focus - help them! - fight them! - find out more -_ )

It hacked, spun, countered against Four’s every step and swing. It had been waiting countless years for this fight, a combination of revenge and self-loathing. An end to its eternity of suffering. “Your demise will fix everything.”

“Don’t blame me for whatever you did! I’m not like you!”

Dark Four burst into tears. “But you are! You will be!” Sobs turned to giggling. “You’re all so stupid, thinking you know better. Fate’s a circle, and we’re all stuck in it. No getting out.”

( _guard - slash now - fuck! missed - it's fast - be faster - trying! -_ )

Dark Four kept pressing forward, slicing and screaming. Never-ending babble poured out of its mouth. “Cut off your face. Hate it! Hate it! Make it go away! Go away! Forever and ever! We just need blood. Blood and light. Make it end! Nayru, have mercy! DIE DIE DIE!”

Four could not block all of the attacks. One by one, Dark Four sliced into him. A cut on Four’s leg. A gash across his arm, his shoulder. The ruined blade slashed again and again, cutting across Four’s left cheek in a spot eerily similar to one on Dark Four’s own face. Four felt nothing but the faint chill of dark magic. His blood splattered across the floor, soaking the dark mirror dust. Dark Four did not bleed, and any attack Four scored against him did nothing more than add to its hideous appearance.

“He won’t last much longer, now. Slipping, slipping, he’s slipping up! Let us out! Please! Please! I’LL RIP YOUR HEART OUT!”

( _we’re losing - too much too fast - arms up! - how the fuck do we stop this? - look out! -_ )

The ruined sword came crashing down towards Four’s head. Four tried to dodge. Stumbled. Collapsed onto the ground. His hands, slick with sweat, lost their grip on his sword. The Four Sword flew into the air before it clattered onto the ground and stopped right at Dark Four’s feet. Four lay on the ground, defenceless.

Dark Four dropped its ruined sword and picked up Four’s blade.

( _fuck! - no no no no no - not like this! - please, don't! -_ )

Four tried to scramble back. Tried to stand up. Tried to do anything. But fear locked his muscles in place. He couldn’t move. All he could do was watch as Dark Four came closer and closer until the two of them were no more than a shadow’s length apart.

“An end, an end,” Dark Four grinned. “Finally, an end to everything.”

It raised the Four Sword high.

The blade gleamed, bright and pure and true.

The light from the Four Sword struck down, flooding into Dark Four’s twisted body and soul. Illuminating its blank eyes into a swirl of colours. Light sparked onto the floor, colliding with Four’s blood, the dark mirror dust, and the shadows that lay between them. All of that matter rose from the ground, swirling around Dark Four.

Dark Four dropped to its knees, tears streaming down its face. For the first time, it looked more like a person than a monster. The Four Sword still glowed, its magic healing Dark Four’s cuts, bringing sanity back into its eyes.

The light, the blood, the dark mirror dust; all of it wove together, filling the empty, ornate frame. Time went still as the mirror was made whole again.

Dark Four turned to stare into the glass, gasping at the sight.

His reflection grinned. Stepped forward.

Shadow stepped out of the mirror.

He was a little older, his hair now a mix of white and grey, but his eyes were the same as Four’s heart remembered: ruby red, shinning with mischief.

“Shadow…” Four whispered.

But this Shadow did not look at him. His red gaze was locked on what remained of Dark Four, its body shuddering and ripping as the parts of its soul fought to break apart.

Future Shadow gave it - them - a crooked smile. “You idiots,” he said, in a voice full of sorrow and love.

He held out his hand.

Dark Four shattered.

He shattered into four fragments, four souls. And while they still bore the scars of their corruption - burns and frost, cuts and crystals - their eyes were no longer blank white. No longer empty.

They ran to Shadow, their own hands outstretched for his.

They ran into the mirror.

And then, there was a blinding light and silence.

And then, Four was all alone.

***

The next moments went by in a blur. Somehow, Four was able to stand up. Somehow, he picked his sword off the ground, the blindingly beautiful light now nothing more than a dim, iridescent shimmer that decorated the blade. Somehow noticed that the mirror frame was empty once again, all the blood and dark magic dust now gone.

Somehow, his heart remembered to keep beating while his mind screamed.

( _that was - did you see - he was here - what the fuck just happened - is it over? - he was here, alive - blood and light magic, is that what we need? - I think so? - if he was here then, there’s a chance - really over? - over forever, at least for them - I can get him back - no dark magic! no mirrors - it's a bad idea - but you all saw - it could go wrong - I WANT HIM BACK! -_ )

Four gripped his head, doubling over from the spike of agony that pierced his mind. Pain made it impossible to think. All of him was reeling, spiralling, seconds away from separating -

\- and then the warp tile glowed blue, and Legend was in the room with him.

“Finally! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Legend gave the room a quick danger-check, scowling at the dungeon walls. “I can’t believe you got sent to the fucking Dark World. Especially this place. I hate it here.”

“It wasn’t my idea,” said Four. The words came out stilted as his mind scrambled to come to some sort of order and normalcy. “Sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for?” Legend walked up to Four, and now those sharp, icy blue eyes were examining Four. “Shit. You look like hell.”

“Its been a rough couple of…”

( _years? - days? - felt like an eternity -_ )

“…hours.”

Legend’s eyes narrowed “I thought I emptied out this dungeon years ago.”

“W - I finished the job for you. I don’t think they’ll be coming back anymore.” Four tried to smile, but it wouldn’t stay on his face. “You’re welcome.”

“Why didn’t you just leave through the - ah, hell, is that asshole still charging people rupees to enter or exit? I swear, he’s almost worse than Ravio.” Legend rummaged around his bag as he spoke, and pulled out a red potion. “Here.”

Four took it, stared down at it in his hands.

“Drink it. You’re bleeding everywhere.” said Legend. He pointed to Four’s left cheek. “Mostly surface cuts, but that one looks deep enough to scar.”

“Oh. Thanks.” Strange. He couldn’t feel any physical pain from the cuts at all. He downed the potion in one long gulp.

( _let’s never do that again - ask him - now? - yes, now - easier before we get to all the others -_ )

“Hey, Legend?” Four fought to keep the desperation out of his voice. “What do you know about this place?”

“Not much,” Legend admitted. He took the empty potion bottle back from Four, gave the short hero another sharp, worried look. “I came in here when I was a little older than Wind. Got attacked by a bunch of corrupted knights, I think. Maybe they were heroes once, or maybe they were always evil.”

“Are there any stories about them? Records?”

“Nope. If there were, someone must have destroyed it all.”

“But, maybe in your Hyrule Castle’s library - “

“Nothing there either.” Legend shrugged and began to walk back towards the warp tile. “Zelda, my Zelda, said that, if they had been important, then someone in the royal family must have struck their names out of the historical records.”

“They were erased?” 

“Of course. Come on, Four, you saw this place. Its fucking messed up. Whoever they were, they meddled with way too much dark magic. Probably wanted to take over the world or some other evil shit. If you ask me, I think they got what they deserved.”

He stopped walking, turned around. Four had not moved, standing apart from him under the shadow of the empty mirror. “Why? You come across anything?”

( _tell him? - no - he’ll hate us - we’ll have to figure this out ourselves - he already does hate us - we can never tell anyone - keep it secret - forever and ever -_ )

“No,” said Four. “I was just curious.”

Legend rolled his eyes. “Well, if you have any other questions you can ask them when we’re out of this Hylia-forsaken dungeon and back with the others. Let’s go. Wild will probably have dinner ready by the time we reach the others and I’m starving.”

“Right.” With one last look at what remained of the dark mirror, Four followed Legend onto the warp tile and back to the safety of the Light World.

He did not notice a tiny crack in his sword, the once unblemished blade starting to fracture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a little longer to write because it's a LONG one. But its finally done!
> 
> Thank you so much again to everyone who read and commented on this fic! I had so much fun writing it and I hope you all enjoyed it as well!
> 
> Stay safe and have a great Linktober!

**Author's Note:**

> because, Nintendo can't give me a dungeon like the Palace of the Four Sword and not except me to want to write some angst about it. it's too tempting to resist.


End file.
